The Deal
by MewHannah-Chan
Summary: "Look, Roxie, I'm making you the deal of a lifetime! I know you've always wanted a heart. So why refuse? Or, could it be, I'm offering the wrong heart...?" SoRoku, implied AkuRoku
1. Take One

**The Deal**

-+-

It was the perfect size. He can already feel it within his chest; hear it beating against his ribcage, pumping the blood and life into his body and sustaining the existence he never had…

And just like that, the glowing heart dissipates in the cloud of smoke that conjured it up.

Roxas feels his spirits drop as the smooth, conniving voice belonging to none other than the lord of the underworld himself worms its way back into his senses.

"So what do you say?"

With an aggravated sigh, Roxas turns his back to the flaming-haired man.

"As tempting as it sounds, the answer is still no."

The teen notices the temperature behind him rise dramatically (he obviously angered the other man) before it drops back down to normal.

"Look, Roxie—I can call you Roxie right?" Roxas feels a burning hand on his shoulder and inwardly flinches, "I'm making you the deal of a _lifetime_. I know you've always wanted a heart. So why refuse?" His other shoulder becomes occupied with another flaming-hot grip as the space next to Roxas' face burns with yet another intrusion.

"Hades," Roxas hisses, "Just because I'm blond doesn't mean I'm stupid."

The grip Hades has on the teen tightens; causing Roxas to avert his eyes. With an unsatisfied snarl, the lord of the Underworld pulls away—moving his arms so his hands lay on either side in front of Roxas.

"You drive a hard bargain, kid." Roxas can hear the sneer in his voice. "All I want is your other-half's Keyblade," A current of twisting, grey smoke contours the shape of the Keyblade between Hades' hands. "And in return," the smoke takes form of a heart again. "You finally get a _heart_."

Non-committaly, Roxas spreads out his hands the way Hades did. Staring at the neon pink glow of the heart between his palms, he silently wills it into his chest—He doesn't even notice the burning presence to the side of his head returning.

"But," Hades leers; smirking as the heart warps into a miniature silhouette of Roxas. "If you fail, then you will pledge your loyalty to me. So no heart, and eternally under the service of moi…" A small heart is cut out of the silhouette's chest and rises upward. As it floats away, the mini-Roxas drops to it's knees and sobs into it's palms before disappearing in the smoke. "I'm sure if Sora's as trustful as you say he is, the latter happening is one in a million, am I right?"

With a frown, Roxas drops his hands back to his sides. "Look, for the last time, I am _not_ interested," Shaking his head, the teen continues, "I've already made that deal once, and it didn't go down well at all."

"Roxie, Roxie, _Roxie_…" Hades moves to pat Roxas' back reassuringly. "I have much more principal than that sea-witch Ursula! I mean, she uses potions, freaky concoctions and all that magic mumbo-jumbo, but I'm the lord of the Underworld! I can rearrange the _stars_ if I want to!"

"You should try that with your furniture," Roxas mumbles; giving the said upholstery a dirty look.

Ignoring the spiteful comment, Hades continues. "Why don't you trust little old me huh? Sure I've done some pretty dishonest things in the past, but I've changed for the greater good."

"Oh, I'm sure," Roxas looks back at the man, "You don't know what I want. Neither did Ursula. You're all just trying to rule the universe for _nothing_." Stepping foreword, Roxas begins to leave—all the while feeling a burning glare upon his back.

"Or maybe," Hades murmurs loud enough for Roxas to hear, "I'm offering the wrong heart."

The teen stops dead in his tracks, causing a twisted grin to pull at the man's lips.

"I—" Roxas hesitates, "…I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do…" Hades purrs, "What if, along with a heart of your own, I give you the heart of the one you're so _desperately_ in love with?"

Roxas turns sharply to the lord of the underworld. "The one person I _thought_ I loved is dead from protecting the very Somebody I belong to."

"Yes, but there is one person you _know_ you love… isn't there? A certain _Somebody_…" Hades inwardly chuckled when Roxas' eyes widened. "…that doesn't reciprocate on your feelings?"

Startled, Roxas only manages to whisper, "How did you know?"

"I have my ways." Hades steps toward Roxas with one hand behind his back and the other stretched before him. "So how about this? You bring me the Keyblade…" Another glowing heart appears; this time, larger in size. "And not only do you get your real, genuine heart, but the heart of your little crush here," Within the depths of floating apparition, the smiling face of Sora appears—causing Roxas to flinch.

Hades' hand retracts, coming to join the other behind himself. The lord of the underworld leans back with a smug smile plastered on his deathly blue face.

Seemingly in a trance, Roxas slowly reaches out—but before he can touch the smoke-produced object, something in the back of his mind speaks up.

'_Déjà vu.'_

Just then, Roxas' expression contorts from shock into irritation. With a few sweeps of his fanhand, he waves the dark matter away before turning on his heel to leave once again.

"The answer is still no."

In an instant, a burst of heat fills the room and Hades cries in frustration; earning a smirk from Roxas. About halfway down the steps out of the bellowing lord of the underworld's throne room, Roxas calls back to him.

"Oh and, if you had more principal than Ursula, you wouldn't have tried to make the same exact deal with me."

There is a small pause—then another wave of angry heat rushes out. A string of curses are heard, followed by the loud shout of "That little blond-haired brat!" and then a shriek of "PAIN! PANIC! Get up here so I can maim you!!"

Roxas listens to the erratic scuttling as Hades' minions make their way past the teen and up the stairs.

"Coming your almighty lordship!" The fatter, purple one says as the skinny, blue one stops to glare at Roxas.

"Look what you've gotten us into now!" He half-wails, half-whispers, before following his companion up the stairs.

Just as Roxas stepped onto the slope connecting the first platform to the second, agonized screams and apologies drift noisily from the throne room.

After a few moments of walking (and listening to the high-pitched squeals of Pain and Panic being tortured), Roxas finally reaches the inner chamber of the Underworld. Upon entrance, he is immediately met by the cheerful sight of Sora chatting up a reluctant Auron.

"Hey," Roxas greets them.

The two look up (he can tell Auron is slightly relived), and Sora smiles brightly.

"Hey! You're actually unscathed! Was Hades in a good mood today or something?"

Roxas strides over before sitting by Sora with a sigh. "Well, not after he was done chatting with me…"

"What'd he want to talk about?" Sora inquires.

"Remember when Ursula tried to strike a bargain with me? You know… the Triton for a heart of my own?" Sora nods and Roxas continues, "Well, Hades pretty much offered the same thing, except he wanted your Keyblade. He didn't even realize that, being your Nobody, I have one too."

Sora sticks up two fingers, "Two actually," Roxas shrugs and Sora lowers his hand. "Man, I was seriously freaked out when Pain and Panic came down and told us Hades wanted to see you. Why do they always try to get _you_ to be their errand boy, anyway?"

"They probably think I'm naïve or something," Roxas sighs, "Plus, they're so conceited they don't even realize even if I'm separated from you I can still live and feel—even without a heart."

"Who says you don't have a heart?" Sora interjects, causing Roxas to raise an eyebrow.

Without a word, Sora reaches over and presses a hand to Roxas' chest; causing the other teen to blush. A moment of silence passes before the hand is taken away and Sora smiles reassuringly.

"Don't worry, I felt it beating."

Still blushing, Roxas lifts his own hand up before gently touching his chest where his heart would be. Feeling a thump, Roxas jumps and looks at Sora with wide eyes.

"It… it is!"

In euphoria, he throws his arms around Sora's neck; causing them both to fall to the ground. All the while, Roxas is laughing and after a few seconds of shock, Sora joins in too before embracing the other boy around the waist.

Completely forgotten, Auron watches the two express their merriment; knowing deep down whatever was in the deal Hades was trying to make was bound to happen anyway.

And deep down, when Roxas feels Sora inadvertently peck his cheek as they're rolling on the ground laughing, he does too.

-+-

MHC: Should I make an alternate ending where Roxas accepts the offer? I think it'd be fun.

Please **leave a review** for they are the fuel to a writer's flame and let us know you still care.


	2. Take Two

You unlocked:

_ALTERNATE ENDING_

**The Deal**  
**(Take 2)**

* * *

It was the perfect size. Elegant in shape and color—it's neon pink glow emanating like some ethereal dream he's somehow had. He can imagine it sitting in his chest, beating against his rigcage, pumping life force through his veins, and allowing him to _exist._

God, what would it be like? To be a whole person, and not just a fragment of another being? The hole in his body feels even emptier than before…

And just like that, the glowing heart dissipates into the cloud of smoke that conjured it up.

"So," a conniving voice inquires, "what do you say?

With an aggravated sigh, Roxas turns his back to the flaming haired man and crosses his arms.

"As tempting as it sounds,"

Part of him wants to hesitate, and consider the offer, but…

"The answer is still _no._"

Roxas notes the dramatic rise in temperature behind him (he obviously angered the other man) before it drops down to normal.

"Look, Roxie—I can call you Roxie, right?" Roxas feels a burning hand on his shoulder, and inwardly flinches. "I'm making you the deal of a _lifetime_. I know you've always wanted a heart…" His other shoulder becomes occupied with another flaming-hot grip, as the space next to his face burns with yet another intrusion. "…so why refuse?"

"Hades," Roxas hisses, incredibly miffed by the sudden violation of his personal space, "Just because I'm blond doesn't mean I'm stupid."

The grip Hades has on the Nobody tightens, and the teen holds his breath while averting his gaze—unsure of what the Lord of the Underworld is planning. With an unsatisfied snarl, Hades pulls away while moving his arms to hold his palms up on either side in front of Roxas.

"You drive a hard bargain, kid." Roxas can hear the sneer in his voice. "All I want is your other half's Keyblade," A current of twisting, grey smoke contours the shape of the Keyblade between Hades' hands. "And, in return," The Keyblades morphs into the form of a heart, "You finally get _a heart._"

Noncommittally, Roxas spreads his hands the way Hades had. Staring at the transcendent pink glow of the heart between his palms, he wills it into his empty chest—unaware of the burning presence returning to the side of his head.

"But," Hades leers amusedly; smirking as the heart warps into a small silhouette of Roxas. "If you fail, then you will pledge your loyalty to me. So no heart, and eternally under the service of _moi_…" A small heart shape is cut out if the silhouette's chest and rises upward. As it floats away, the mini-Roxas drops to it's knees and sobs into it's palms before dissipating in the smoke. "I'm sure is Sora is as trustful as you say he is, the latter happening is one in a million, am I right?"

With a frown, Roxas drops his hands to his sides. "Look, for the last time, I am _not_ interested." Shaking his head, the teen continues, "I've already made that deal once, and that didn't go down so well."

"Roxie, Roxie, _Roxie_!" Hades moves to pat Roxas' back reassuringly, and said Nobody begins to despise his newfound nickname. "I am much more qualified than that sea-witch Ursula! I mean, she uses potions, freaky concoctions, and all that magic mumbo-jumbo… but I'm the lord of the Underworld! I can rearrange the _stars_ if I want to!"

"You should try that with your furniture," Roxas mumbles before giving said upholstery a dirty look.

Ignoring the spiteful comment, Hades continues. "Why don't you trust little old me, huh?" Roxas rolls his eyes at this, "Sure I've done some pretty dishonest stuff but, come on… I've changed for the greater good!"

"Oh, I'm sure," He looks back into the God's glossy eyes. "You still don't know what I want, and neither did Ursula. You're all just trying to rule the universe for what? _Nothing_." Stepping forward, Roxas begins to take his leave—all the while feeling a burning glare upon his back and he suddenly hopes to exit before he becomes target practice.

"Or maybe," Hades murmurs, despicably loud enough for Roxas to catch ear of, "I'm offering the wrong heart?"

The teen stops dead in his tracks, causing a wicked grin to twist at Hades' lips.

"I—" Roxas hesitates, a bad feeling churning in his gut, "…I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, I think you do…" Hades purrs, "What if, along with a heart of your own, I give you the heart of the one you're so… _desperately_ in love with?"

Roxas turns sharply to the lord of the Underworld, extra aggression in his step. "The one person I _thought_ I loved is dead from protecting the very Somebody I belong to." He snaps.

"Yes," Hades prods, "but there is one person you _know_ you love… isn't there? A certain _Somebody_…" Hades inwardly chuckles when Roxas' eyes go wide. "…that doesn't reciprocate your feelings?"

Startled, Roxas only manages to whisper, "How do you know?"

The malicious grin says everything. "I have my ways." Hades steps toward Roxas with one hand behind his back and the other stretched before him. "So how about this? You bring me the Keyblade…" Another glowing heart appears; this time, larger in size. "And not only do you get your real, genuine heart, but the heart of your little crush here." Within the depths of the floating apparition, the smiling face of Sora appears—causing Roxas to flinch.

Hades' hand retracts, coming to the join other behind him. The lord of the Underworld leans back with a smug smile plastered on his deathly blue face.

In a trance, Roxas watches the ghastly image of Sora float before him. In the back of his head, he hopes for his Somebody to step forth from the smoke and embrace him. Roxas reaches out and loses himself in those blue eyes; he imagines touching that face and kissing those lips—

"Fine." He clutches his outstretched hand into a fist; forcing himself back into his present position. "We have a deal,"

The enthusiasm on Hades' face is prevalent, "Excellent—"

"But," Roxas cuts the flaming man off, "I want to make a slight adjustment." In a flash of white light, the Oathkeeper appears in his grasp, "Take my Keyblade instead."

Hades takes in the sight with understanding and, suddenly, his palm proceeds to connect with his forehead in one frustrated motion. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?! The kid with the Keyblade's got the Nobody with the Keyblade… it all makes sense…" He moves his hand away from his face and into Roxas' direction, implying a handshake. "Okay, Roxie. We have a deal."

Cringing at the nickname, Roxas, instead of reaching his hand out to shake, places the Keyblade in Hades' palm. "A deal's a deal."

The lord of the Underworld pauses, blinking at the object in his grasp. "Wow. That was… easier than I thought."

And then Hades' laughs.

He tosses his head back and chortles so happily Roxas could have sworn some invisible force found the God's ticklish spot. He laughs and laughs and laughs and barks at the teen, "I win! You really are a dumb blond, Roxie!" He sniggers and flashes his wide, smiling eyes at the Nobody. "You can't just pull a heart out of thin air, and you can't just make some twerp suddenly fall head over heels for you!" Hades' sharp teeth clack sinisterly with every word. "It's all in the wording! You gotta word it right, Roxie… and looks like you lose… bam! Game over! Insert coin!"

Hades swings the blade victoriously, lost in a whirlwind of cackles and sinister joy—

Then suddenly, something seems off.

He looks back to Roxas, and the boy shows no emotion. Not a single flit of misery or despair comes across him, as he simply stares at the God with apathy. The gaze feels uncomfortable upon him, and Hades is frustrated to think that the Nobody isn't in some kind of awful mood over this experience.

"Well?" He bites out, a little too nervously—a sudden discontent is eating at him and he doesn't know why. "Aren't you upset? Sad? At least tell me you're moderately bummed, kid, you're freaking me out, Nobody or not, that just doesn't look right—"

Then Roxas laughs.

He laughs and laughs and laughs and sighs and let's out a short giggle before saying "I'm not the dumb one here."

The weight in Hades' grip is gone, and the Keyblade reappears at Roxas' side.

"Just like a heart or someone else's love, you can't just _give_ your Keyblade to someone. If that were the case, you'd probably have one by now. Sorry to say, wording won't help you on this one."

Feeling the flames growing hotter and bigger on his back, Hades twinges in frustration. "Roxiiiiiiie," his coos can't mask his rage, "We. Had. A. DEAL." The flames on his shoulders burst for a split second, and Roxas can tell the God is not feeling too dapper this evening. "No Keyblade means you belong to me now…"

Roxas taps a finger against his lips, "But did you hold up your end of the deal, Hades? Where's my heart? And better yet…" Roxas grins, and Hades looks to be on the verge of exploding. "We never shook on it."

Suddenly, the god slumps, flames dispersing, and his hand goes to connect with his forehead again. "Of all things—OF ALL THINGS—!"

Roxas turns on his heel and makes his leave, Oathkeeper fading in a short flash of light. "Until next time, mighty _Lord of the Underworld_." In an instant, a burst of heat fills the room and Hades cries out in frustration; the smirking boy content. About halfway down the steps out of the bellowing god's throne room, Roxas calls back to him. "Oh, and if you had more principal than Ursula, maybe you shouldn't make the exact same deal as her on top of _letting me dupe you_."

There's a short pause, before another wave of angry heat rushes out. A string of curses are heard, followed by the shout of "That smug little blond-haired brat!" and finally the shriek of "PAIN! PANIC! COME UP HERE SO I CAN MAIM YOU!"

Roxas listens to the erratic scuttling as Hades' minions make their way past the teen and up the stairs.

"Coming, your almighty, all-powerful lordship of awesome!" The fatter, purple one says as the skinny blue one stops to glare at him through teary eyes.

"Look what you've gotten us into _now_!" He half-wails, half-whispers before following his companion up the stairs. Just as Roxas steps onto the slope connecting the first platform to the second, agonized screams and apologies drift noisily from the throne room.

After a few moments of walking (and some ear abuse due to the high-pitched squeals of Pain and Panic being tortured) Roxas finally reaches the inner chamber of the Underworld. Upon entrance, he is met by the cheerful sight of Sora chatting up a reluctant, and otherwise bored-looking, Auron.

"Hey," Roxas greets them.

The two look up (relief apparent in Auron's features) and Sora smiles brightly.

"Hey! You're unscathed! Was Hades in a good mood or something?"

Roxas strides over before sitting next to Sora with a sigh. "Definitely not after he was done chatting with me."

"What'd he want to talk about?" Sora inquired.

"Remember when Ursula tried to strike a bargain with me? You know, the Triton for a heart of my own?" Sora nods and Roxas continues, "Well, Hades pretty much offered the same thing, except he wanted your Keyblade… so I offered mine—" Sora makes a face like he is about to interject in confused protest, but Roxas cuts him off. "—knowing he wouldn't be able to keep it. I really did it just to screw with him because he wouldn't stop calling me Roxie… it was pretty fun."

Sora laughs heartily, and it brings a flutter to Roxas' stomach. "Oh man, I can only imagine the look on his face! I bet the whole place was up in flames by the time you left!" He flashes a smirk at his Nobody, "Dude, I was seriously freaked out when Pain and Panic same down and told us Hades wanted to see you. Why do they always try to get you to be their errand boy, anyway _Rrrrrrroxie_?"

Roxas grimaces, but the nickname surprisingly doesn't bother him much when Sora says it. "They probably think I'm naïve or something. Plus, they're so conceited that they haven't realized that even if I'm separated from you I can still live and feel—heart or no."

"Who says you don't have a heart?" Sora interjects, causing Roxas to raise an eyebrow.

Without a word, Sora reaches over and presses a hand to Roxas' chest; causing another flutter in his stomach and a red hot blush to fill the Nobody's cheeks. A moment of silence passes, Sora's eyes never once leaving Roxas', before the hand is taken away and the Somebody smiles reassuringly.

"Don't worry," he winks, "I felt it beating."

Still blushing, Roxas cautiously lifts his own hand to his chest where his heart should be. Feeling a gentle thump, Roxas jumps and looks at Sora with wide eyes.

"It… it is!"

In euphoria, he throws his arms around Sora's neck; causing them both to fall to the ground. All the while, Roxas is laughing and, after a few seconds of shock, Sora joins in before embracing the other boy around the waist.

Completely forgotten, Auron watches quietly as the two express their merriment. Deep down, he knows that whatever was in the deal Hades was trying to make was bound to happen anyway.

And deep down, when Roxas feels Sora inadvertently peck his cheek as they're rolling on the ground laughing, he does too.

* * *

MHC: The name on everybody's lips is gonna be… _Roxie_~!

Here's your alternate ending, folks. Sorry it took me so long, I ended up scrapping two different versions of this chapter before I finally felt content with it. Still, I had a lot of fun, and I'm glad I got to re-experience my older style. I think the trickiest part was Hades—you have to be in a mood to write Hades (in my opinion) so I sat down and watched Hercules before setting off to work. I hope I got the feel right!

_And who in case he doesn't bang, can say it started with a twang? Roxie's heart!_ (Bad, I know)

Happy Valentine's Day my lovelies, and please **leave a review**! (A box of chocolate works too, if you prefer.)


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